Mitt Romney is right now confronting an issue of image on the campaign trail, and his level of engagement on social networks like Facebook is considered to be lacking. Considering the emphasis that President Obama and his team put on social engagement of this sort, it could be a major failing for Romney while he’s trying to communicate what’s important to him in becoming President.
“For Romney, his entire social media strategy is lacking the most important ingredient for social media success – genuine engagement,” wrote Amy Porterfield. “Romney is stuck in the traditional media rut where the focus in on pushing out messages. Because of the rise of social media, it’s no longer acceptable to solely push your own agenda online, but rather more about getting involved in the conversations. Unfortunately, right now Romney’s social media platform is completely one-sided.”
A major issue is the fact for all of the posts, there is no direct feedback from Romney or his team. Amazingly, they haven’t responded to any of the messages on their Facebook page or to any tweet one of their followers has sent them.
“On Facebook, Team Romney is notorious for posting and ditching. Specifically they post something, and then let everyone else “talk amongst themselves” without ever jumping back into the conversation,” noted Porterfield. “On Facebook, the way you create a fan for life (or in his case, a loyal supporter) is by getting involved in the back and forth conversations. That’s where it really counts! Engagement is where the real relationships start. By posting and ditching, it looks as if Romney is not interested in his fans opinions or feedback.”
“A great way to create a connection with users on social media sites it to have a little fun. Romney’s posts tend to be stiff and lack a conversational, friendly tone. One surefire way to show the human side of his campaign is to pull back the curtains and post more pictures from the campaign trail, fun stories about people he meets and short quips about his experiences. Of course, he needs to get his message out there, but on Facebook, Twitter and all the other social media sites, if you focus completely on business, you lose your audience fast,” Porterfield added. “Step away from the political soapbox and mix it up to have a little fun with your social media audiences. The more real you come across, the stronger the support.”
“I hope those points raise some interest in the Romney camp. But if not they should help anyone who is tempted to use Facebook to develop a personality fronted-brand,” concluded Haydn Shaughnessy. “The message is clear – engagement takes something extra, like a busy leader, or in this case candidate, showing himself willing and humble enough to mix it with his fans.”
Source: Forbes.com
